Albuquerque: Sights & Places of Interest

Background
& History

Leah has put together some suggested itineraries for you.
You will find details of each of the highlighted sights listed further below.

1 Day Tour

(5 hours, 30 miles/48.2 kilometers)

• University of New Mexico Museum of Geology & Meteoritics, on the UNM campus, 277-4204. See hundreds of minerals, meteorites, moon rocks and fossils. Open Mon-Fri 8-12 and 1-4:30. Free. Paid parking available on Central and Cornell.
• National Atomic Museum, on Kirtland Air Force Base, 284-3243. See displays and movies on the development of atomic energy and weapons as well as the latest advances in energy research at this thoroughly fascinating museum. Open daily 9-5. Entry is through KAFB Wyoming and Gibson gates; obtain entry pass. $3 adults, $2 seniors, children and military, 6 and under free.
• Sandia Peak Tramway, 856-7325, is the world’s longest double reversible bi-cable aerial tramway. Ride 2.7 miles up to the 10,378-foot Sandia Peak, passing through four of the Earth’s seven life zones on the way. Be sure to bring your binoculars: wildlife such as bear and mule deer can sometimes be seen on the slopes below, and the view from the top is breathtaking. Labor Day-Memorial Day, open daily 9-8, except Wed (5-8). Memorial Day-Labor Day, open daily 9am-10pm. $14 adults, $10 seniors and ages 5-12, under 5 free. The Tram is closed for maintenance October 30-November 10, 2000.

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2 Day Tour

(5 hours, 25 miles/40.2 kilometers)

• The Albuquerque Aquarium and Rio Grande Botanic Garden, 2601 Central Ave NW, 764-6200. Discover aquatic habitats, including a walk-through eel cave and a 285,000-gallon shark tank. You can also see films or visit the gift shop and restaurant. The Botanic Garden showcases the natural environment of the Rio Grande Valley through specialty gardens, and desert and Mediterranean conservatories. Open daily 9-5; $4.50 adults, $2.50 seniors and children.
• Rio Grande Zoological Park, 903 10th St SW, 764-6200. Explore an African savannah, tropical rain forest, primate island, lobo woods, a birds of prey aviary, and more. Open daily 9-5; $4.50 adults, $2.50 seniors and children.
• New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, 1801 Mountain Rd NW, 841-2892. See Science & Technology Tour, page 24.
• Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, 2901 Candelaria Blvd NW, 344-7240. A park preserve for the riverside wildlife of the bosque, the cottonwood groves that line the river. Enjoy the visitors center, exhibits on local ecology, geology and history, and nature trails. Open daily 10-5; $1 adults, 50¢ children, under 6 free.
• Take Rio Grande Boulevard through the Rio Grande Valley to Alameda and watch for pheasants, doves and roadrunners. Then proceed on Tramway Road to Sandia Peak Tramway (see Science & Technology Tour).

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3 Day Tour

(8 hours, 12 miles/19 kilometers)

• Petroglyph National Monument. The world's largest accessible collection of prehistoric rock art (see American Indian Cultural Tour).
• Historic Old Town, bounded by Rio Grande Blvd, Central Ave and Mountain Rd. A bronze statue honors Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes, Albuquerque's founder. Explore the art galleries lining Old Town's romantic streets and alleyways.
• Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, 2000 Mountain Rd NW, 243-7255. View permanent displays on the city's history along with traveling exhibits from around the world. Open Tues-Sun 9-5; closed Mondays and holidays. Free.
• New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, 1801 Mountain Rd NW, 841-2892. Bronze dinosaur sculptures are among public works of art surrounding the museum (see Science & Technology Tour). Open daily 9-5.
• Historic KiMo Theatre and Art Gallery, 423 Central NW, 764-1700. The theatre, which underwent extensive renovation this year, was originally built to house vaudeville acts. It is famous for its Pueblo Deco architecture, particularly in its murals and plaster ceilings.
• Crossroads Mall, 4th and Central, commemorates the crossroads of Route 66 and U.S. Highway 85. The Crossroads sculpture points the way north through a shady avenue of trees to the recently renovated Civic Plaza with its massive public fountain.
• Other Downtown art of note: 5th and Marquette features one of American Indian artist Allan Houser's striking bronze sculptures. The Special Collections Library, Edith and Central, is a Pueblo Revival-style building with interior details by Gustave Baumann. The library houses the Don Quixote Portfolio, illustrated by several of the city's artists. Library hours are seasonal; call 848-1376.
• The University of New Mexico, 277-0111, is home to more examples of Pueblo Revival-style architecture, and several excellent collections: The Fine Arts Museum, in the Fine Arts Center on Cornell Dr NE, 277-4001, Tues-Fri 9-4, Tues eve until 8, Sun 1-4; The Jonson Gallery of Contemporary Art, 1909 Las Lomas Blvd NE, 277-4967, Tues-Fri 9-4, Tues eve until 8, closed weekends; and The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University Blvd and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd NE, 277-4404, Tues-Fri 9-4, Sat 10-4.
• Tamarind Lithography Institute and Gallery, 108 Cornell Dr SE, 277-3901. Gallery tours are offered on the first Friday of the month at 1:30 and include a film on lithography and a printing demonstration. Open Tues-Fri 9-5. Free; reservations are required for tour.
• Nob Hill Shopping Center, Carlisle Blvd and Central. One of the first centralized shopping centers west of the Mississippi, Nob Hill now houses boutiques, art and excellent restaurants.  
• Old Town The city of Albuquerque began in 1706 with 18 families and a petition for recognition as a formal Villa, granted by the Spanish Duke of Albuquerque-hence "The Duke City." The town sprung up around what is today known as Old Town. Around the central plaza, Old Town's streets are lined with 300-year-old adobe structures, testaments to the will of the city's early settlers. Witness the life of these settlers in exhibits at the Albuquerque Museum, 243-7255, and at Casa San Ysidro in the Village of Corrales, 898-3915.

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4 Day Tour

(4-8 hours, 45-165 miles/72-266 kilometers)

• Tijeras ("Scissors") Canyon. This scenic, historic route has been traveled in years past by Indian traders, ‘49ers and scores of early settlers.
• Drive east on I-40. The Sandia ("Watermelon") Mountains (named for the watermelon-pink sunset glow on the mountains’ west side) are to the north, and the Manzano ("Apple") Mountains (named for the apple orchards planted in their foothills by early Spanish settlers) lie to the south.
• Leave I-40 at Exit 175, marked Cedar Crest and Tijeras. For maps and additional information, follow NM 337 south and visit the Sandia Ranger Station, 281-3304, open Mon-Fri 8-5; weekends and holidays 8:30-12, 12:30-5.
• If you follow the exit’s left fork, you will be heading north on NM 14, known as the Turquoise Trail.
• Continue onto NM 536 and start watching for a picnic spot. The route has been designated a National Scenic Byway by the U.S. Forest Service. It passes through four life zones and curves through scenic overlooks on its way to the 10,678-foot Sandia Crest.
• Sandia Peak offers a view that, at times, encompasses 15,000 square miles. Mid-December through mid-March, enjoy those views from Sandia Peak Ski Area, 242-9052, in the Cibola National Forest, offering 30 trails serviced by four chairlifts, a surface lift and a children’s mitey mite. The ski area also features a certified ski school, a complete rental shop, skiers’ cafe, outdoor grill and a ski shop.
• Return to Albuquerque the way you came, or take a side trip: At the junction of NM 536 and NM 14, head north through beautiful landscapes and the gold and silver mining towns of Cerillos, Golden and Madrid. Once relegated to near ghost-town status, Madrid is once again a thriving community due to a recent influx of artists and entrepreneurs.
• Horse & Rider When the ‘Iron Horse’ first came to Albuquerque in 1880, it was met by real horse-ridin’ men and women. Farmers had been raising livestock since the Spanish first arrived in the 16th century. Ranchers, cowhands and homesteaders had been making their way to New Mexico since General Kearny helped annex the territory in 1846. These cowboys and cowgirls personified the spirit of the West and, in doing so, became the stuff of legend. 

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5 Day Tour

(3-8 hours, 74-127 miles/118-203 kilometers)

• Begin your drive just northwest of Albuquerque at the village of San Ysidro, where you can view the work of local artisans and tour a restored Spanish adobe church. The surrounding Jemez Mountains offer cross-country skiing, hiking, camping, fishing and famous natural hot springs.
• Follow the road along the Jemez River through brilliant red and orange canyons to Jemez (HAY-mez) Pueblo, about five miles from San Ysidro (see American Indian Cultural Tour).
• At the historic village of Jemez Springs, you’ll find art galleries, restaurants, a mercantile store, and lodgings. Just above the village is Jemez State Monument, featuring exhibits and picnic areas. Jemez State monument lies near remains of the ancient Towa Pueblo of Guisewa (a Towa word meaning ‘place of the boiling waters’) and the 17th-century Spanish Mission of San Jose de los Jemez.
• Soda Dam is a striking geothermal formation where minerals from a spring have created a dam that blocks the Jemez River. The river pours through a hole in the dam, forming a waterfall.
• A few miles past Battleship Rock, a sheer cliff that rises above the river like the prow of a ship, is the parking lot for Spence Hot Springs, one of the more accessible and scenic sites for a soak in hot mineral waters. Less than two miles from the springs is the small settlement of La Cueva, which offers a country store, restaurants and a lodge.
• Climbing east out of Jemez Canyon, enter Valle Grande, 8,500 feet high and one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world. Although 14 miles across, only part of the caldera can be seen because the view is obscured by the great dome of Redondo Peak, which, at 11,254 feet, is the highest point in Sandoval County.
• A great side trip is Tent Rocks Canyon, where erosion has sculpted tent-shaped rock formations topped off by boulders known as hoodoos, and sheer, dramatic slot canyons.
• Bandelier National Monument, containing some of the nation’s most visited ancestral Puebloan sites, is part of a 50-square-mile wilderness area; miles of trails to ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs radiate from the visitors center.  
• Nearby Los Alamos, New Mexico’s famous "secret city," is now a thriving community of nearly 19,000. Perched high on Pajarito (pa-ha-REE-tow) Plateau, it offers galleries, museums, restaurants and lodgings. It’s also a four-season sportsman’s paradise. Enjoy the scenic drive back to Albuquerque!

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6 Day Tour

(4-6 hours, 40-60 miles/ 64.4-96.6 kilometers)

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PUEBLO ETIQUETTE

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NATIVE ART

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TOURING THE PUEBLOS

• Petroglyph National Monument, 897-8814. Over thousands of years, hunting parties chipped an estimated 17,000 petroglyphs into a dramatic lava rock escarpment. Three walking trails wind through the petroglyphs. Open daily 8-5; closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. $1 per vehicle on weekdays and $2 per vehicle on weekends.
• Drive through Corrales to Coronado State Monument, 867-5351, and the remains of Kuaua Pueblo, where Spanish explorer Coronado is thought to have spent the winter of 1540-41. Explore extensive ruins, an interpretive trail and a restored kiva. Open daily 8:30-5; closed some state holidays. $3 adults (summer), $2 (winter), children 16 and under free.
• El Camino Real ("The Royal Road," which linked New Mexico to Old Mexico) leads back to Albuquerque through the Rio Grande Valley, beneath which some 15 pueblos lie unexcavated.
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th St NW, 843-7270. Discover arts and crafts from New Mexico’s 19 pueblos; Indian dances are held on weekends year-round at 11 and 2. Open daily as follows: gift shops 9-6; American-Indian style restaurant 7:30-3:30; museum 9-5:30. Museum admission: $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 students, Pueblo Indians and children 4 and under free.
• Acoma (AH-koh-mah) Pueblo, 552-6604. An hour west of Albuquerque is the entrance to "Sky City" or Acoma Pueblo. One of the state’s most dramatic landmarks, Acoma sits atop a 376-foot-tall mesa overlooking the desert. Take a walking tour through the pueblo, the plaza and 17th-century mission church. Hour-long tours are available on the hour until 5pm. Please call in advance of your visit.  
• Jemez (HAY-mez) Pueblo, 834-7235. One hour northwest of Albuquerque, amidst dramatic red rocks, lies the Pueblo Village of Walatowa (native for Jemez). A visitors center provides information about the pueblo and Jemez Mountain Trail attractions. There's a gift shop, a small museum and interpretive tours. Picnic, fish, enjoy the great outdoors, and sample food or crafts at roadside stands. Please arrange tours in advance

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